- Date
- August 21, 1995, 12:53 local (16:53 UTC)
- Place
- Carrollton, GA
- Injuries
- 8 fatal, 13 serious, 8 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N256ASEmbraer EMB-120RT
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1997
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19950821024859A
- Case key
- 10997
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the in-flight fatigue fracture and separation of a propeller blade resulting in distortion of the left engine nacelle, causing excessive drag, loss of wing lift, and reduced directional control of the airplane. The fracture was caused by a fatigue crack from multiple corrosion pits that were not discovered by Hamilton Standard because of inadequate and ineffective corporate inspection and repair techniques, training, documentation, and communications. Contributing to the accident was Hamilton Standard's and FAA's failure to require recurrent on-wing ultrasonic inspections of the affected propellers. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the overcast cloud ceiling at the accident site.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Atlantic Southeast Airline Flight 529 was climbing through 18,000', when a blade from the left propeller separated. This resulted in distortion of the left engine nacelle, excessive drag, loss of wing lift, & reduced directional control. The degraded performance resulted in a forced landing. While landing, the airplane passed through trees, impacted the ground, & was further damaged by postimpact fire. An exam of the left propeller revealed the blade had failed due to a fatigue crack that originated from multiple corrosion pits in the taper bore surface of the blade spar. The crack had propagated toward the outside of the blade & around both sides of the taper bore. Due to 2 previous blade failures (separations), a borescope inspection procedure had been developed by Hamilton Standard to inspect returned blades (that had rejectable ultrasonic indications) for evidence of cracks, pits & corrosion. The accident blade was one of 490 rejected blades that had been sent to Hamilton Standard for further evaluation & possible repair. Maintenance technicians, who inspected the blade, lacked proper NDI familiarization training & specific equipment to identify the corrosion that resulted in fatigue. (See: NTSB/AAR-96/06 for additional information.)
Factual narrative
Please See NTSB Bluecover Report of Aircraft Accident - NTSB AAR-96/06 for further information regarding this accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N256AS
- Reported as
- Embraer EMB-120RT
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 120122
- Airframe hours
- 17,151
- Engine
- P&W PT118, 1,800 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Atlantic Southeast Airlines, doing business as Delta Connector
- Registered owner
- Atlantic Southeast Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 20, 1995
- Departed
- ATL · Hartsfield Int., GA
- Destination
- GPT · Gulfport, MS
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CTJ · West Georgia Regional, runway 34, 5,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 9,876 total · 7,374 in this make and model · 212 in the last 90 days · 67 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CTJ, 4 nm away
Docket · 106
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 16, 1996, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.